Additive manufacturing, also referred to as three-dimensional printing, allows for the manufacture of products by extruding a melted material into a shape according a computer model. A computer system operates the three-dimensional printer, and controls material flow and movement of a printing nozzle until the desired shape is formed. In a fused filament fabrication process (also known as fused deposition modeling), material in the form of a filament is fed through a heated head, which melts the material onto a surface. The surface or the heated head can move to extrude the melted material into a set shape, as instructed by the computer system. Other additive manufacturing methods utilize non-filamentous materials that are melted and pressurized before being extruded through a printing nozzle, but such methods often result in undesirable leakage from the printing nozzle, particular when the melted material is viscous.
Recent developments in additive manufacturing has allowed for the use of a large number of different three-dimensional printing processes and the use of a many different materials. For example, biologically inert materials can be used in additive manufacturing processes for the production of implantable medical devices or custom laboratory consumables. See, for example, Poh et al., Polylactides in Additive Biomanufacturing, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, vol. 107, pp. 228-246 (2016). Progress has also been made in developing additive manufacturing technology for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products. See Goyanes et al., 3D Printing of Medicines: Engineering Novel Oral Devices with Unique Design and Drug Release Characteristics, Molecular Pharmaceutics, vol. 12, no. 11, pp. 4077-4084 (2015).
Current additive manufacturing technology is limited, however, by the precision in which three-dimensional printers extrude material. Pharmaceuticals need to be carefully controlled to ensure manufactured products are uniformly shaped and contain a precise and accurate dosage of drug. There continues to be a need to develop precise systems for additive manufacturing processes, including for the use manufacturing pharmaceutical products.
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